Payson is a town in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States. Its location puts it very near to the geographic center of Arizona. Payson has been called "The Heart of Arizona". The county seat is in Globe, AZ. The Payson police department executive director is the Arizona state coordinator of the 1033 program. The town is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest and has many outdoor activities year round.

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Payson considers its founding year as 1882, at which time it was known as Green Valley. On March 3, 1884, a post office was established with the help of Illinois Representative Lewis Edwin Payson. The first postmaster was Frank C. Hise. In honor of Representative Payson’s help, the town's name was changed to Payson.

Payson had its first rodeo in 1884. Payson considers its rodeo the "world's oldest continuous" as it has been held every year since.

In 1918 author Zane Grey made his first trip to the area surrounding Payson. He would come back with regularity through 1929, and would purchase two plots of land near Tonto Creek, including 120 acres (49 ha) from Sampson Elam Boles under Myrtle Point. Grey wrote numerous books about the area and also filmed some movies, such as To the Last Man, in the Payson area in the 1920s.

During Prohibition the manufacture, sale, and distribution of liquor was plentiful. The transactions took place on historic Bootleg Alley.[4]

During the 1930s an effort began to try to get Payson a better road to connect it to the outside world. At that time Payson was very isolated, with a trip from Phoenix to Payson taking eight to twelve hours. Throughout the 1950s work on a paved road from Phoenix to Payson progressed and the paving was completed in 1958. A few years ago this highway, State Route 87 (also known as the "Beeline Highway"), was expanded to four lanes.

"Zane Grey Country" is a term for the area around Payson, Arizona. This term was most often used in the 1970s and 1980s, and appeared in the header of the local newspaper, The Payson Roundup. In recent times it has fallen somewhat out of favor, as the term "Rim Country" has become more popular among locals.[citation needed]

Owing to its elevation of almost 5,000 feet, Payson has what is classified as a Mediterranean climate (KöppenCsa), though atypical for this climate with its early-summer drought and late-summer rainfall. Whilst temperatures do reach the high 80s and low 90s in summer, the town’s altitude keeps it protected from the 100+ temperatures found at Arizona’s lower elevations. Monsoon storms often develop in the later afternoon, bring heavy rainfall to the area and also lower the temperature a bit. Summer nights cool down into the high 50s.

Winter is also mild, with cold nights. January’s average nighttime low is 21 °F (−6.1 °C) with some nights in the teens, but by mid-afternoon, the mercury has usually risen into the 50s. There are only a few days of real winter, with 23.3 inches (0.59 m) of annual snowfall, but very little snow cover. The weather in Payson is as varied as the landscape, and a snowstorm is often followed by weather so warm that any accumulation melts away within a day or two. In spring the desert blooms with a fiery array of Indian paintbrush, primrose, and the golds and fuchsias of cactus blossoms and other brightly-colored wildflowers. In this mild climate, neither summer nor winter are “indoor” seasons.

There were 5,832 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.1% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 15.3% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 36.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.[9]

The median income for a household in the town was $33,638, and the median income for a family was $38,713. Males had a median income of $30,900 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,513. About 6.5% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Payson is known for its rodeo which is the oldest continuous rodeo in the world.[10][11]

Payson has two large parks, Green Valley Park and Rumsey Park. Payson also has two small lake.The lakes are part of the Urban Fish Program. A community swimming pool is located near Rumsey Park and the town hosts free outdoor concerts in the summer. Other activities include intramural sports like baseball and football. Payson also has a small skatepark.

Payson is the site of the annual Arizona State Championship Old Time Fiddlers Contest, held in September. The fiddle contest features both local and nationally-known players and awards cash prizes. Payson is also home of two rodeos. In May the Multi-Purpose Event Center across from the Tonto Apache Indian Reservation hosts the Gary Hardt Memorial Rodeo. In August, the historic August Doin's Rodeo (1884) takes place making Payson, Arizona the "Home of the World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo." Prescott, Arizona is known as hosting the "World's Oldest Rodeo" (1888) but took a hiatus during World War II.